Internet printing by hotel guests

• US 7,315,824 B2
• Filed: 12/04/2001
• Issued: 01/01/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Development Americas, Inc. (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Development Americas, Inc. (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Lee, Hye-Sook Kim, Shoa, Katayoun, Tanaka, Yokichi Joe, Page, Martin Ervin, Chen, Paul, Purpura, Don Francis
• Primary Examiner(s): Weiss; John G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Araque, Jr.; Gerardo
• Application Number:
  US10/000,468
• Publication Number:
  US 20030105643A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,219 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1, 705/44, 713/155, 713/176, 379/130, 379/93.25, 358/1.9, 358/1.15, 320/132, 709/223
• US Class Current: 705/5
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5084 Providing for device mobility network addressing or numbering for mobility support in wireless networks H04W8/26; mobile IP H04W80/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/30 Profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

Printing over a network, such as the Internet, by uploading, via the network, to a printing service provider, print data information and location information, determining identification information based on the uploaded location information, correlating, at the printing service provider, the determined identification information with the uploaded print data information, inputting the identification information at a printing device connected to the network, transmitting the print data information having the correlated identification information to the printing device, and printing the print data information on the printing device. The location information may be a network address from which the uploading step is initiated, where the network address is dynamically determined by a hotel server when a user connects a computing device to a network connection in the hotel. After the uploading step, the printing service provider may query the hotel server for the identification information, with the hotel server determining the identification and transmitting the identification information to the printing service provider in response. The location information may comprise hotel information and the identification information may comprise hotel room key information or credit card information.

Claims

1. A method of printing over a network, comprising the steps of:

correlating and storing at a first server user identification information of a user with location information corresponding to a location of the user;

uploading, via the network, to a printing service provider, print data information and location information corresponding to a location from which the uploading is performed;

determining, at the printing service provider, from the uploaded information by referring to the first server the correlated user identification information and location information, user identification information of the user corresponding to the uploaded location information;

correlating and storing, at the printing service provider, the determined user identification information of the user corresponding to the uploaded location information with the uploaded print data information;

inputting the user identification information at a printing device connected to the network;

transmitting the print data information having the correlated user identification information from the printing service provider to the printing device; and

printing the print data information on the printing device.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the location information comprises a network address from which the uploading step is initiated.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein the network address is dynamically determined when a user connects a computing device, from which the uploading step is to be performed, to the network.

4. A method according to claim 3, wherein the network address is dynamically determined by a hotel server when the user connects the computing device to a network connection in a hotel.

5. A method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

after the uploading step, the printing service provider querying a server corresponding to the location information for the user identification information corresponding to the location information;

the server corresponding to the location information performing the determining step in response to receiving the query from the printing service provider; and

the server corresponding to the location information transmitting the determined user identification information to the printing service provider.

6. A method according to claim 5, wherein the location information comprises hotel information, the server corresponding to the location information comprises a hotel server, and the user identification information comprises room key information.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein the location information comprises hotel information and the user identification information comprises hotel room key information.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein the identification information is credit card information.

9. A server apparatus that performs computer executable process steps for printing over a network, comprising:

a processor for executing computer executable process steps; and

a memory medium storing the computer executable process steps, the computer executable process steps comprising (a) correlating and storing user identification information and network address corresponding to a user'"'"'s location, (b) detecting connection of a client computer to a local area network connected to the server apparatus, (c) assigning a network address to the detected client computer, (d) receiving a query from another server apparatus connected to the network for user identification information corresponding to the assigned network address, (e) determining, by referring to the correlated user identification information and network address, the user identification information corresponding to the assigned network address received in the query, and (f) responding to the query from the another server apparatus with the determined user identification information.

10. A server apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the user identification information is room key information.

11. A server apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the user identification information is credit card information.

12. A server apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising, after the assigning step and prior to the receiving step, adding the assigned network address to an upload operation in which print data information and the assigned network address are uploaded to the another server apparatus.

13. A server apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the another server apparatus comprises a printing service server that receives the print data information and the assigned network address in the upload operation, and queries the server apparatus for the user identification information.

14. A server apparatus that performs computer executable process steps for printing over a network, comprising:

a processor for executing computer executable process steps; and

a memory medium storing the computer executable process steps, the computer executable process steps comprising (a) receiving, via the network, uploaded print data information and location information corresponding to a location from which the uploading is performed, (b) querying another server apparatus corresponding to the uploaded location information for user identification information of a user corresponding to the uploaded location information, wherein the another server apparatus has previously correlated user identification information of the user and the received location information, (c) receiving the user identification information from the another server apparatus in response to the query, (d) storing the received user identification information of the user corresponding to the uploaded location information in correspondence with the uploaded print data information, (e) receiving the user identification information from a printing device, and (f) in response to the received user identification information from the printing device, transmitting to the printing device the print data information stored in correspondence to the user identification information.

15. A server apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the location information is a network address assigned to a client computer by the another server, and the client computer performs an uploading operation to upload the print data information and the assigned network address which are received by the server apparatus.

16. A server apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the user identification information comprises room key information.

17. A server apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the user identification information is credit card information.

18. A method of printing over a network, comprising the steps of:

correlating and storing at a first server user identification information of a user with room key information;

uploading, via the network, to a printing service provider, print data information, location information corresponding to a location from which the uploading is being performed, and user identification information corresponding to the location information;

determining, at the printing service provider, room key information based on the uploaded user identification information by referring to the first server the correlated user identification information and room key information;

correlating, at the printing service provider, the determined room key information with the uploaded print data information;

inputting the room key information at a printing device connected to the network;

transmitting the print data information having the correlated room key information from the printing service provider to the printing device; and

printing the print data information on the printing device.

19. A method according to claim 18, wherein the location information identifies a hotel and the user identification information identifies a hotel guest.

21. A method according to claim 18, wherein the room key information is hotel room key information.

22. A method according to claim 18, wherein the user identification information is credit card information.

23. A method according to claim 18 further comprising the steps of:

after the uploading step, the printing service provider determining a server corresponding to the uploaded location information;

the printing service provider querying the determined server corresponding to the uploaded location information for the room key information based on the uploaded user identification information;

the determined server performing the determining step to determine the room key information based on the uploaded user identification information; and

the determined server transmitting the determined room key information to the printing service provider.

20. A method according to Clam 19, wherein the user identification information is issued to the hotel guest by the hotel.

24. A computer-readable storage medium on which is stored computer executable code for printing over a network, the computer executable code comprising the steps of:

uploading, via the network, to a printing service provider, print data information and location information corresponding to a location from which the uploading is performed;

correlating and storing at a first server user identification information of a user with location information corresponding to a location of the user;

determining, at the printing service provider, form the up loaded location information by referring to the first server correlated user identification information and location information, user information of the user corresponding to the uploaded location information;

correlating, at the printing service provider, the determined user identification of the user corresponding to the uploaded location information with the uploaded print data information;

inputting the user identification information at a printing device connected to the network;

transmitting the print data information having the correlated user identification information form the printing service provider to the printing device; and

printing the print data information on the printing device.

25. A computer-readable medium according to claim 24, wherein the computer executable code further comprises the steps of:

after the uploading step, the printing service provider querying a server corresponding to the location information for the user identification information corresponding to the location information;

the server corresponding to the location information performing the determining step in response to receiving the query from the printing service provider; and

the server corresponding to the location information transmitting the determined identification information to the printing service provider.